


For You, Anything

by FeistyMouse



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Sanvers - Freeform, Sanvers Christmas, Sanvers Secret Santa 2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-27 23:05:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17171162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeistyMouse/pseuds/FeistyMouse
Summary: Maggie helps Alex overcome her fear of dogs with a Christmas twist.





	For You, Anything

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas, @thighlerleigh! Hope you have a good one!
> 
> This is partly based on my huge phobia of dogs. While the events in the story haven’t happened to me, I’ve tried to draw on how I would feel in situations similar to those that Alex finds herself in. 
> 
> I’m sorry if it seems like the story jumps forward a bit, had I given myself more time to write it it would have been better, but I hope you enjoy it anyway!

“Alex, are you ready?” 

Silence. 

Maggie checks her watch and shifts her weight onto her other leg. 

“Danvers, c’mon, you know Kara’ll start the movie without us if we’re late.” 

Maggie waits for any sign that Alex is listening to her, but it doesn’t come.Frowning, she heads towards the second bedroom that mostly doubles itself as a walk-in leather jacket closet where she had left her girlfriend looking for her boots a couple of minutes earlier. 

“Babe, we really gotta go-”

Maggie’s words die in her throat when she sees Alex perched on the edge of the bed, her eyes closed and her chest rising and falling quickly with every shallow breath she shakily sucks in.Her knuckles are white as she grips the bedsheet, her eyebrows knitted into a frown as she worries her bottom lip with her teeth. 

“Alex?”Maggie can’t hide the worry from her voice; she’s never seen Alex like this, looking so vulnerable and… afraid.She’s by her side in under a second, wrapping a comforting arm around her and pulling her in close.“Babe, what is it?” 

The silence grows as Alex steadies herself enough to answer.“I…” Her voice cracks and she cuddles further into Maggie. 

“It’s okay, take your time.”Maggie runs her fingers through Alex’s short hair.She knows that she finds it calming. 

Alex swallows.“I can’t go to movie night.” 

Maggie feels her heart sink.She was worried Alex would say that.“It’ll be okay, babe.”Even though Maggie has every belief in her words, they feel flat as she says them, because no matter how probable it is that everything would be okay and how much Alex knows that Maggie is right, a big part of her - most of her - still can’t accept it. 

Because to Alex, her fear is very real.

And as much as Maggie can protect her from the thing she fears, she can’t protect her from fear itself. 

Maggie can feel the rapid rise and fall of Alex’s diaphragm against her, and when the agent doesn’t say anything, Maggie knows that there are only two viable options.

Call Kara.

Or don’t go to movie night.

Going while Krypto is there isn’t an option, not right now.

But Maggie knows that she has to make it one, that the best thing she can do is to help her girlfriend overcome her fear of dogs, no matter how hard it is for both of them.

So as she places a long, soft kiss into Alex’s silky hair, she resolves to do just that.

 

* * *

 

The officer on duty at the precinct waves Alex through with a smile.  Her legs automatically carry her to Maggie’s desk; she’s walked through the halls and the bullpen more times than she can count having worked so many cases with Maggie.  Plus, the dive bar is a little closer to the precinct than the DEO, so Alex regularly meets Maggie at her office first before they head out for a drink and a game or five of pool.    

Alex frowns when she sees that Maggie isn’t at her desk.She expected that she’d be waiting for her like she usually is, though it’s a little early in the day to be heading to the bar.Thinking little of it, Alex slides into Maggie’s worn swivel chair, thrumming her fingers on the hard wood of the desk in anticipation of Maggie making an appearance. 

She smiles at the framed photo of the two of them by the ice cream truck, her lips pressed to Maggie’s cheek as she smaller woman beams at the camera, her dimples out in full force as she laughs.It’s new to Maggie’s desk, and Alex feels her heart warm at the sight of it sitting there proudly, knowing that Maggie chose to put it there. 

“I know, it’s a little cheesy…”

Alex looks up as Maggie leans against her desk so that she’s facing Alex in her chair.“No, no, it’s not that.”Alex is quick to reassure Maggie.“It’s perfect.” 

Maggie smiles, and Alex is sure she can see a hint of pink in her cheeks.She leans back in the chair so that she can look up at Maggie. 

“So, uh, you got a case or somethin’?” 

“Uhhh, not exactly.”When Alex frowns questioningly, Maggie bites a little at her lip, her smile suddenly gone.“Come with me?” 

Alex follows Maggie out of the bullpen towards the hallway leading to the interview rooms.Her heart pounds just a little faster at Maggie’s unusual behaviour. 

And then she hears a deep, gruff bark and it skips a beat entirely. 

Maggie sees Alex stop dead next to her, her entire body tense, defensive, ready to flee.She immediately puts a calming hand on her arm, which is crossed tightly over her other across her body.It’s like she’s trying to curl up into a ball and disappear.“It’s okay, babe, she can’t get to you.” 

Maggie sees Alex’s eyes flit briefly down to hers before snapping back up to the end of the corridor at the sound of another bark. 

“She’s in an interview room behind a closed door and I promise she won’t be coming out while you’re here.”Maggie speaks soothingly, managing to slip her hand into Alex’s.She squeezes it, but when the dog barks again, Alex grips it so tightly that Maggie starts to feel it turning numb after a few seconds.“It’s okay.” 

Alex thinks she knows what’s happening.“I…”

“Do you trust me?” 

Despite her state, Alex doesn’t miss a beat.“Of course I trust you.Always.” Her eyes find Maggie’s looking back at her sympathetically. She can see the worry masked behind them; Maggie hates seeing Alex scared or hurt, and she hates that she’s helped to cause the fear that Alex is feeling right now, but it has to be done, and deep down, Alex knows it too. Maggie is so used to seeing Alex fight for what she believes in, fight to protect the people and the city and the world she loves. Seeing her in flight mode is... well, heartbreaking. It just isn’t Alex.

Maggie squeezes Alex’s hand again but doesn’t move towards the interview room yet.“I know this is stressful for you, and I don’t want you to do anything you’re not comfortable with, but I want to help you overcome your fear, Alex.I know you can.” 

Alex puffs out her cheeks before sucking in a deep breath. 

“Let me help you?” 

Alex searches Maggie’s eyes again.She nods lightly at first before it becomes a little more convincing, and she forgets her worry for a second when she sees the beautiful smile widen across Maggie’s face. 

“We can take all the time you need and it won’t be easy, but I promise we can overcome this together.I believe in you, Alex.You just have to believe in yourself.”Maggie presses her forehead to Alex’s, and Alex draws comfort from it.“You ready?” 

Alex hesitates.“Yeah, I guess.” 

Maggie offers Alex another smile as she places a hand on the small of her back, gently guiding her towards the source of Alex’s fear. 

“This,” Maggie says as the inside of the interview room comes into view, “is Gertrude.” 

Alex tears her eyes from the German Shepherd sitting in the opposite corner of the room and casts a questioning glance in Maggie’s direction.“Gertrude?”

“A questionable choice that was not mine,” Maggie says matter-of-factly. 

“It’s kinda sweet.” 

Maggie nods.“She was the puppy I was assigned when I started at the NCPD.I trained her, she passed her tests and has a one-hundred percent drugs-bust record - the only dog in the force.” 

Alex glances at Maggie, her mouth curled into a smirk at her girlfriend’s boasting. 

“And she’s a total softie… Unless you’re a bad guy,” Maggie jokes, facing Alex.“I know me telling you that she’s harmless means nothing, but I want to show you that you don’t have to be afraid.” 

Maggie presses the handle of the door, sending fresh waves of adrenaline shooting through Alex that only ease as it clicks shut. 

The second Maggie steps into the room, Gertrude’s tail begins to thump happily against the ground.She stands and approaches Maggie before sitting in front of her patiently, motionless, all her attention focused on her.As soon as Maggie kneels and brushes a hand over her fur, Gertrude’s tail begins to wag and her tongue flops out of her mouth. 

“You’re a good girl, aren’t you, Gertie,” Maggie says, scratching behind Gertrude’s ear, to which she receives a slobbery tongue on her cheek. 

Alex snickers at Maggie’s affectionate name for her companion.Watching Maggie, Alex is not afraid for her because she knows there’s nothing to be afraid of.Still, the level of distress she feels at the thought of it being her in the room with Gertrude is something she couldn’t even begin to describe. 

Maggie picks up Gertrude’s favourite toy, a stuffed rabbit, and offers it to her.She takes it and begins to shuffle it around the floor with her nose before picking it back up by the ear.

“She’s loyal and amazing in the field, but she’s the biggest goofball when you get to know her.Kind of like someone else I know.”Maggie sits with her back pressed to the wall as Gertrude picks up a ball for Maggie to throw. 

Alex feigns insult but admits to herself that Gertrude is cute, especially with the fluffy bunny dangling from her mouth.But that doesn’t make her any less afraid of her. 

Seeing the way that Maggie interacts with Gertrude, the love that the dog so obviously has for her girlfriend makes Alex wish that she were a part of it. 

So she vows there and then that one day she will be.

 

* * *

 

The second time Maggie takes Alex to see Gertrude, Alex feels her nerves beginning to build from the moment she wakes up.  She does her best to hide them from Maggie, to maintain the tough exterior she’s feared for by most agents at work, but she tossed and turned all night and one look from Maggie tells her that her girlfriend sees right through her facade.

She thinks she’s more nervous than last time because she knows it’s coming, which makes is harder.Last time, she didn’t have any time to overthink it because Maggie sprung the whole thing on her.She didn’t tell Maggie, but she worked herself up so much this morning that she threw up. She knows that feeling this strongly is irrational, but she can’t reinforce that message in her brain, at least not in a way that actually makes it mean something. 

Much to her own surprise - which was caused mostly by of her lack of reluctance - after seeing Gertrude for the first time, she made an appointment with Doctor Hamilton to talk through her phobia and methods of working through it.She knows that Maggie will be by her side every step of the way, that she’ll always listen and try to understand and never judge, but Alex thinks that seeking professional help will give her an even better chance of overcoming her phobia. 

She just hopes that Hamilton’s advice works in the future because it doesn’t seem to be helping her now. 

As they step into the corridor, the pounding in her ears drowns out Maggie’s words.She stuffsher hands into her jacket pockets, unknowingly playing with a pluck in the lining and subsequently misses everything her girlfriend says. 

“Alex?” 

“Yuh-huh?” 

“You good?”Maggie knows that Alex hasn’t heard a word she’s said, so she just offers her a smile of reassurance. 

“I will be.” 

Alex follows Maggie to the same room as last time where Gertrude laps water from a bowl opposite the door.Alex makes sure to stand as far away from the door as possible when Maggie goes inside, but Gertrude lifts her head as Maggie walks in and quickly goes back to drinking her water, her tail swaying from side to side. 

“Hey, baby,” Maggie coos, rubbing her hand along Gertrude’s back.“You’re thirsty, huh?”Maggie sits next to Gertie.“She had a big day,” Maggie tells Alex, her fingers playing with Gertrude’s ears.“Found five bags of coke and ten grand in cash stashed in the trunk of a suspected dealer’s car.”

“Nice,” Alex agrees, unable to suppress a grin.“The dealer doing time?” 

“Yep.Officers are still checking out his house.You got him good, didn’t you, Gertie?” 

The dog responds with a bark and nuzzles her face into Maggie’s arm.Despite the wall separating them, Alex takes an involuntary step back but that’s as far as she gets when she realises. 

Seeing Alex’s reaction, Maggie wants to ask the question she’s held off on bringing up for as long as she can.“Babe, can I ask you something?And it’s okay if you don’t feel ready to tell me, I get it, but I want to understand.”

“You know you can ask me anything.” 

Maggie nods.“What do you think she’ll do to you if she comes over to you?What is it that makes you afraid?” 

Alex takes a moment before answering, because, honestly, she doesn’t know.Her experience with dogs isn’t that bad, but she’s still lived with her fear for as long as she can remember.“I know it doesn’t make any sense, especially with my job description.When I’m out in the field, I feel like I know the next move my enemy is going to make.I’m running high on adrenaline, sure, but I’m not afraid when I go out there.When there’s a dog in front of me, I don’t know what’s going to happen, what it’s thinking…. I’m not afraid for you when you go in there and sit with her or even wrestle with her on the floor, but the second you open the door and there’s even the tiniest chance she could get out…. That’s when the panic hits.”

Maggie bits her lip in thought and nods her understanding.“Sometimes fear doesn’t make sense, and maybe it doesn’t have to.You’re proving that you can still overcome it just by coming down here and trying.I’m so proud of you, Alex.”

Alex flashes Maggie a shy smile, looking down.“Don’t be too impressed.There’s a wall of glass between me and Gertrude.I haven’t done anything yet.” 

“That’s not true, babe.”Maggie massages Gertrude’s head between her ears when she lies down next to her.“Accepting help is the first step.”She looks up at Alex through the window, finding her beautiful brown eyes looking right back into hers before she says something Alex had never really given much thought to before. 

“I think it’s probably the biggest step of them all.”

 

* * *

 

Alex goes to the precinct almost every day for the next few weeks.  She watches as Maggie runs through the different commands that Gertrude knows or plays with her or even just sits with Gertie’s face in her lap.  She talks things through at her regular appointments with Doctor Hamilton too.   

Alex knows that this beautiful animal wouldn’t hurt anyone or anything - at least not without Maggie’s command, and even then, her goal wouldn’t be to injure - so she’s decided that today’s the day. 

Today, she’s going to take a huge step closer to overcoming her phobia. 

She’s going into that interview room. 

“You got her?”Alex hovers outside the door, wringing her hands together nervously. 

“I promise she isn’t coming anywhere near you unless you want her to,” Maggie says, her wrapped tightly around a leash.Sure, the dog would be able to overpower her if she really wanted to, but she isn’t going to say that to Alex, especially if it might make her fear worse.Plus, if Maggie tells Gertrude to sit and stay, she will. 

Alex sucks in a deep breath and screws her eyes shut as she tries to centre herself.She counts to three and pushes the handle, opening the door slowly. 

She feels her heart stutter when Gertrude looks at her, but one word from Maggie has her lying down by her feet obediently. 

“You’re doing great, Alex,” Maggie says honestly, knowing how big a step this is for Alex. 

The agent keeps her eyes trained on Gertrude, who watches her as she stands in the doorway.She doesn’t move, just lies on the floor with her ears sitting lopsided.Alex feels her heart thrumming in her chest as she takes her first step into the room.She keeps her back to the wall but stands a little away from it, determined to make it as far into the room as she possibly can. 

About a quarter of the way in, Alex stops.She can’t bring herself to walk any further, but as much as her brain screams at her to get out, she fights it. 

Standing up to her fear is unlike any battle she’s ever known.She’s so used to fighting aliens with her fists and weapons and a team of people by her side that she’s responsible for.Staring her fears in the face…All of that is gone, stripped back to just her and her mind.Only she can be in control of something she has never felt like she has any control over and, to Alex, that’s far more terrifying than running into combat knowing that you’re responsible for the lives of everyone else.She’s trained for that for almost a third of her life, but nothing could prepare her for overcoming something that has been rooted deep inside she was a child.It’s the only thing in her life that limits her; she wants to be able to go to Kara’s apartment or take a walk in the park without feeling dread seeping through her, without feeling like she can’t do them at all. 

“Alex?You okay?” 

Maggie’s voice cuts through Alex’s thoughts, and even though this is one of the scariest things Alex has ever done, she realises, she is. 

She’s okay.

 

* * *

 

The next time, Alex pushes herself a little further.  She tells Maggie to let Gertrude off her leash but asks her to keep a hold of her collar.  A couple of weeks later, Alex finds herself sitting opposite Maggie and Gertrude, Maggie’s hand still wrapped around the German Shepherd’s collar.  A week after that, they sit closer still, talking about their days at work and what takeout to order that night.  

And then Alex tells Maggie she’s ready. 

She’s ready to be in the room with Gertrude without her being held by Maggie.

She feels like she’s been smashing through wall after wall of her fear, one at a time, and it’s all come down to this. 

Alex realises she hasn’t felt this anxious about walking into that room since their first week of therapy. 

It’s a good thing, she thinks.Sure, the feeling she has now means she still has a lot of work to do, but it reminds her of what she’s fighting for, of how far she’s come. 

The agent chews her lip subconsciously as she hovers outside the door.“Okay, I’m coming in.” 

Alex steps into the room, all her attention focused on the fact that Maggie doesn’t have hold of Gertrude.It’s all she can think about, but she tells herself that it’s okay. 

And then Gertrude stands up.

She’s not being threatening or defensive, just genuinely intrigued by the person she’s seen nearly every day for almost two months but hasn’t been properly introduced to. 

But Alex doesn’t see it that way. 

The second Maggie sees Alex flinch, she reaches out to stroke Gertrude.“Sit, Gertie.”Maggie wants Alex to feel as comfortable as possible and feels a sense of relief sweep over her when Alex visibly relaxes a little after Gertrude sits down, though she can still see that Alex is on high alert.“You good?” 

“Uh, yeah,” Alex says. 

“Do you want to sit down?” 

Alex shakes her head. 

“Okay.Tell me about your day?Kara break any more historical buildings?” 

Alex manages a small smile.She knows that Maggie is trying to get her talking so that she isn’t thinking about they way her heart pounds and her head screams at her to get the hell out of there. 

“No, not today.”

“Makes a change.” 

Alex’s smirk grows.“Brainy located an abandoned warehouse that we believe was being used as a storage facility to smuggle alien weapons that were being sold to the highest bidder.He’ll be analysing the data as we speak.” 

“We had reports of disturbances at a disused store downtown this morning.I guess they could be connected?”

“Seems reasonable.I’ll tell Brainy.”Alex grabs her phone from her pocket.“They seem to be operating on the south side of the city,” she tells Maggie. 

“We need a list of empty spaces starting from within a ten-mile radius of the warehouse and we can check that store out when we’re done here.”

“I’ll have Bravo team on standby.”Alex’s phone lights up with a message.“Brainy’s on it.”She pockets her phone, and that’s when she sees that Gertrude has left Maggie’s side and is actually pretty close to her, sitting by her food bowl.“She’s hungry.” 

“She’s naughty.She only ate an hour before we got here.”Maggie pulls a packet from her jacket, causing Gertrude’s ears to perk up.She bounds across the room and sits patiently at Maggie’s feet, head cocked to one side.“And she only seems to have got cheekier with age.” 

“From the endless stories Kara has bored me with about Krypto, it sounds like he and Gertie would get along well,” Alex jokes.“Maybe we’ll have to set up a playdate some time.” 

Gertrude lets out a little bark, seemingly in agreement.She approaches Alex and sits at her feet.  
“That settles it,” Alex declares.Her heart races harder than it ever has before but she stands her ground against her desire to flee, and she finds that Maggie is beaming at her with pride.“Before the year is out, we will host a playdate for Gertie and Krypto.” 

That gives Alex a little under three months to take total control of her phobia.Sure, it won’t be easy, but it’s something she has to do for herself and everyone around her.She’s come so far over the last few months and this might just be the final push she needs.She promises herself there and then that she’s going to do everything she can to host that playdate.

And Alex Danvers never breaks a promise. 

 

 

* * *

 

Fall soon drifts into winter, and Alex finds herself spending more time at the precinct than she does at home.  She looks forward to meeting Maggie after her shift finishes and just hanging out with her and Gertrude; she thinks it’s become just as important to Maggie as it has to her, especially with the demands of the case Maggie’s working on.  

Alex doesn’t feel anxious when she steps into the room with Gertrude.There are still moments that make her heart skip a beat and she’s not entirely comfortable if Gertrude barks or makes a sudden movement, but she no longer finds herself hovering outside the door while she plucks up the courage to go inside or crossing the street when there’s a dog heading in her direction. 

Today, Alex wants to surprise Maggie.

She’s been thinking about this for a while now, and she’s ready. 

Maggie’s shift finishes any minute and Alex can’t wait to see the look on her face.The excitement she feels far outweighs her nerves and she wants to thank Maggie for helping her to make it this far; she probably wouldn’t have entertained the idea of trying to fight her phobia if it hadn’t been for her beautiful girlfriend.Honestly, she doesn’t think she’ll ever be able to thank her enough.  
Alex’s head shoots up when she sees Maggie’s silhouette glide by the window and she can’t help the grin that spreads across her face as Maggie steps into the room. 

But it drops the second she sees the slump of Maggie’s shoulders and the way that she nibbles at her bottom lip like she does when she’s stressed. 

“Danvers?” 

“Babe, is everything okay?What’s the matter?”Alex can’t hide her concern and she thinks that Gertrude picks up on it too. 

“Oh my God, Alex, you did it!”Maggie’s demeanour changes in an instant, though Alex knows that something’s up.She hasn’t seen Maggie looking that down for a long time.“You came in here without me!” 

Sensing the excitement, Gertrude barks, but Alex doesn’t care about her achievement anymore.Nothing matters if Maggie isn’t happy. 

She waves away Maggie’s sudden enthusiasm.“It doesn’t matter.What’s going on?”Alex closes the distance between them and reaches for Maggie’s hand. 

“I’m okay, it can wait.”Maggie squeezes Alex’s hand in an effort to be convincing.“We should be celebrating!” 

“Not if there’s something bothering you.Tell me, maybe I can help.” 

Maggie can see that Alex isn’t going to back down.She sucks in a deep breath and lets it out slowly, running her free hand through her hair.“Do you wanna go for a walk?” 

 

/

 

The cold winter air cuts through Alex like a knife, but it’s nothing compared to the weight of the heartbreak she feels for Maggie.“They’re retiring her?” 

Maggie launches Gertrude’s favourite tennis ball through the air as they walk through the park.It’s actually pretty therapeutic.The dog sprints after it excitedly, blissfully unaware of the conversation being had about her future. 

“Yeah.” 

“But… But why?You said it yourself, she’s the best dog on the force.”

Maggie sighs.“I tried to tell the Captain that but he says that it’s standard procedure to relieve a force dog of their duties when they reach a certain age.” 

Gertrude bounds up to them and drops the ball at Alex’s feet, her tail wagging excitedly as she waits.Without thought or fear, Alex picks up the ball and throws it as far as she can, watching as Gertrude follows not far behind. 

Alex asks the dreaded question, hoping that the answer isn’t worse.“What’ll happen to her?”

Maggie shrugs and runs a hand through her hair.“If she’s lucky, she’ll be placed with a family that’ll love her as much as I do…”

“It just doesn’t seem fair, Mags.” 

“We know better than most that life isn’t fair, Alex.”

“But you trained her.You and the force are all she’s ever known.” 

“Yeah.”Maggie nods sadly.The defeat in her shoulders returns as they sit on a bench, the cold of the metal against their legs surprising both of them as they sit. 

Alex senses that Maggie doesn’t want to talk about it any longer, but the ensuing silence is deafening until Gertrude nudges her ball into Maggie’s lap expectantly. 

Maggie naturally lights up the way she always does whenever Gertrude wants to play.She holds the ball aloft and waves it around in the air, teasing the dog as she hides it behind her back.Gertrude’s tail beats frantically as she leaps around, searching for her prize. 

Alex watches the exchange with a bitter-sweet feeling sinking into her stomach, weighing heavier by the second.She knows with every fibre of her being that Gertrude doesn’t belong with anyone other than Maggie.The detective loves her loyal companion, and slowly but surely, Alex has come to love her too.She would even go so far as to say that her impending retirement will leave a Gertrude-shaped hole in her life.She’s spent so much time with her over the last couple of months that she couldn’t really imagine what it’d be like not to see her every day. 

But to never see her again….

If this is how she feels, she can’t imagine the emotions running through Maggie right now. 

There has to be something they can do. 

Alex doesn’t know what, but there has to be something. 

She has to try. 

 

* * *

 

The smell of fresh pancakes filters through Maggie’s dreams, pulling her from her deep sleep. 

She sits up to a perfect view of Alex in their kitchen, spatula in one hand and pan in the other.She looks beautiful in her favourite pyjamas complete with a Santa hat, humming a Christmas song to herself.She blushes a little when she sees Maggie looking at her and Maggie can’t help but smile. 

“Merry Christmas, Mags,” Alex says, beaming at Maggie.She grabs two plates of pancakes and makes her way towards Maggie, handing one to her as she settles next to her girlfriend. 

“Hmm, breakfast in bed.I must have been a good girl this year!”Maggie jokes, chuckling at how cheesy that sounded.She leans towards Alex and presses a kiss to her lips, her heart full when she feels Alex’s lips break into a smile against hers.“Merry Christmas, Danvers.These look amazing,” she says, picking a blueberry off the top of possible the fluffiest vegan pancakes she’s ever seen and popping it into her mouth. 

“I’d have made more but I’m pretty sure Kara’s going to stuff us half to death later.” 

Maggie chuckles.“Or she’ll eat most of the food herself and we’ll end up getting takeout like last year.” 

“True.”Alex can’t help but shake her head as she laughs.“Mom’s flight lands at eleven-thirty and Kara’s expecting us a little after one so that leaves us plenty of time before then.” 

“It certainly does,” Maggie says with a cheekily-raised eyebrow. 

“Not for that,” Alex says, grinning at Maggie.She presses a kiss to Maggie’s lips, deeper than the one before.“We’ll have all night for _that_.I was talking about gifts.”Alex slips her hand into Maggie’s and guides her from the bed towards the couch.“Close your eyes.” 

“Really?” 

“Really.” 

“Okay…”Maggie sounds skeptical but she squeezes her eyes closed.She listens as Alex’s footsteps get further away.“Where are you going?”

“You’ll see.Just don’t open your eyes yet.”There’s a pause and a bit of shuffling around that makes Maggie frown as she tries to figure out what Alex is doing.“Okay!Open your eyes.” 

Maggie does and she can’t believe what she sees to the point that she has to remember to breathe again. 

Sat by her feet, patient as always, is Gertrude, ears lopsided and tongue out.“Oh my God, Gertie!” 

Gertrude barks happily, licking Maggie’s face as the detective cuddles her and rubs her back. 

“Hey, girl, hey!”Maggie can’t hide her elation and that only seems to make Gertrude even more excited.“What are you doing here?”She asks in a playful voice.“What are you doing here, huh?” 

“Gertie, give this to Maggie,” Alex says, placing a small white envelope in Gertrude’s mouth. 

The dog gives it to Maggie, who looks between the white paper in her hands and Alex. 

“Open it,” Alex says softly. 

Maggie carefully tears open the envelope, sees the NCPD letter-head and beings to read aloud, scratching behind Gertrude’s ear the whole time.“K-9 19631, known as Gertrude, formerly of the National City Police Department, Science Division, was retired of her duties on December 24th two-thousand eighteen.Full custody has been granted to Detective Margaret Sawyer of the Science Division with effect from December 25th two-thousand eighteen.The NCPD thanks Gertrude for her service.” 

Maggie looks up from the letter, her eyes shimmering with tears.“She’s ours?”She practically exhales in disbelief. 

“She’s ours.”

Maggie looks back down at the letter, reading and re-reading its contents like they’re going to disappear any second. 

“Over the last few months, I got to see how much you mean to each other.And then I spent time with her too.Now I see why you love her so much and I couldn’t bear the thought of her going to live with anyone but you.I spoke to your Captain and he agreed, so we signed the papers yesterday.”

Maggie’s mouth opens and closes a few times in disbelief before she manages to get any words out.“I, I don’t know what to say, Alex.Are you sure you’re okay with this?”  
“I’m sure.Happy Christmas, babe-”

Maggie’s lips crash into Alex’s before Alex can finish speaking.The kiss is so deep and full of love and quickly interrupted by an excited German Shepherd who tries to nuzzle between her girls.Alex and Maggie break apart, laughing.They both stroke Gertrude, who didn’t want to feel left out and now happily laps up the attention. 

“Alex, I don’t know what to say… Thank you.” 

Alex smiles. 

“A few months ago, all I wanted to do was take your fear from you, to make it mine so that you didn’t have to feel the way you did.Now I know I never had to because you kicked it in the ass and already made this the best Christmas I’ve ever had.You are the greatest gift I could ever receive.I love you.” 

“I love you too, forever.”

Gertrude barks. 

“And I love you, my little Gertie.”Maggie tickles Gertrude before she turns to Alex.“This makes my Christmas present seem kinda crappy.” 

“Being with you and Gertie is all I need.”Alex wraps her arms around Maggie and pulls her into her side.“Thank you, for everything.I could never have done this without you.”

“It was all you, Alex.” 

“There’s no way I’d be going to Kara’s for Christmas if you hadn’t given me a gentle nudge towards overcoming my phobia that day at the precinct,” Alex declares honestly.“Though poor Gertie’s going to have her hands full with Krypto later.” 

“Their first playdate, just like you promised,” Maggie says proudly.“And Eliza’s gonna love her.” 

“They all will.”

They fall into an easy silence, Gertrude’s head resting in Maggie’s lap.Maggie can’t remember the last time she felt this excited at Christmas.She feels like a little kid again, and it’s all because of Alex.She has never been more in love with the woman beside her than she is now.She’s given her the family she always wanted but didn’t have for so long, she loves her unlike anyone she’s ever loved before and now she’s fought her deepest fear to give Maggie the perfect Christmas, to give her Gertrude when she thought she was going to lose her. 

Maggie didn’t think she could love Alex any more than she already does. 

But, as she snuggles impossibly further into Alex’s side, she realises that she didn’t just fall I’m love with her. 

She gets to fall in love with her all over again every single day and that’s all that Maggie could ever want. 

They’ve changed each other’s lives forever.

And this is only just the beginning. 


End file.
